


Worlds of Power: Fire Emblem

by bookofholsety



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken | Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Genre: Satire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-23
Updated: 2014-06-23
Packaged: 2018-02-05 21:38:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 11,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1833172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookofholsety/pseuds/bookofholsety
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A satirical adaptation of the plot of the original Fire Emblem, inspired by the awful stylings of the old "Worlds of Power" series of children's books adapting popular NES games.  Featuring a tiny fraction of the game's actual cast,  drastic re-characterisations of basically everyone involved, convoluted and far-fetched non-violent violence, shoehorned product placement for bad Nintendo-themed cereal, turning lovers into cousins, the classic pants-less Marth, and poorly researched gameplay advice at the end of every chapter!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Shadow Dragon attacks! / Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Late last year, some guy or another called for submissions for an anthology he was running based on the old "Worlds of Power" children's books from the late 1980s. The aim was to take a NES game not covered by the actual series and adapt it into the style of said books, with all the trappings of inaccuracy and awful writing which came with it. Needless to say, the moment I saw the call I knew I had to butcher the debut entry of the game series I know best. This was my submission, which for whatever reason did not make the cut into the anthology. Everyone I showed it to while writing it seemed to enjoy it, even those with little-to-no knowledge of Fire Emblem, so I figured there's no harm in blowing the cobwebs off and sharing it with a few more people.
> 
> Warning: this thing is written as poorly as I could muster and deliberately gets even the most basic facts of the story wrong. On the other hand, it does occasionally make fun of infamous parts of bad animu dubs. That's got to count for something, right?

### The Shadow Dragon attacks!

An enormous dragon was chasing Prince Marth!

It was Medeus, king of the dragons, the biggest and nastiest of them all. He had ten enormous wings, so big and long that he completely hid the sun, a row of horns taller than the tallest man on his head, and thick and strong arms ending in claws as sharp as sharp can be. In one hand he held Marth’s entire family – his father, King Cornelius; his mother, Queen Liza; and his sister, Princess Elice – and they were screaming and screaming as Medeus shook them around like little toys.

Marth ran and ran, and there was nothing he could do to save his family. Medeus breathed black fire, setting the world on fire, and Marth could only just get out of the way before he was set on fire too.

“Give up, Prince Marth! We will capture you, too!” a voice shouted from on Medeus’s back. It was Gharnef, the evil sorcerer, a wrinkly old face covered in bundles and bundles of robes and blankets. Medeus opened his mouth again, let out a big roar, and blasted a jet of fire straight at—

### Chapter 1

“Ahh!” Marth jumped awake from his bad dream, sweating and panting. He was sitting in his enormous four-poster bed in a tent. Bending over him looking worried was his cousin, Caeda.

“Are you okay, Marth? Was it that dream again?” she asked.

“Yes, it was... It keeps coming back every night. I keep seeing the day Medeus captured my country and stole my family,” Marth replied.

Caeda smiled. “I know, but don’t worry. We will rescue your family from Medeus’s dungeon one day. We will take back your castle, Altea. I know we can. But first we’ve got a battle to win today, and we can’t do it without you, Marth!”

Marth sleepily rubbed his eyes. “I know, I know. I’ll be ready in a minute.”

Caeda giggled and ran out of the tent. Marth sat up and stretched, then climbed out of bed and walked to the table on the other side of the tent. Lying on the table was a large mirror and his clothes for battle: a big blue shirt, a set of blue shoulder armor, a big blue cape with a golden roaring lion, the royal symbol of Altea, on its back, and his favorite brown leather shoes with criss-crossing laces running up to his knees.

He put on the shirt, the shoes, the cape and the armor, then opened a box next to them containing even more: a gold tiara, a gold belt and a set of brown wrist-bands to match his shoes. He put those on too, stretched and posed in front of the mirror, then dashed out of the tent.

Just outside the tent, Marth’s advisor and butler, Jagen, was waiting for him. Jagen was an old, famous and wise knight, but was getting too old to fight and so instead helped Marth as an advisor and butler. Even though he was no longer a warrior, Jagen still always wore his famous purple armor with enormous spikes taller than his own head on the shoulders.

“Good morning, sir. Your breakfast, sir.” Jagen bowed to Marth and gave him his breakfast, a great big bowl of delicious and nutritious NINTENDO™ CEREAL SYSTEM, available at all good supermarkets and retailers. “Eat quickly, sir. We need to move out as soon as possible, sir.”

“What’s happening today, Jagen?” Marth asked, mouth full of delicious, crispy cereal pieces shaped like NINTENDO™’s biggest stars on their hit video game console, the NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM™.

“We’ll be breaking into Talys Castle, sir, our first step to free the world from Medeus’s empire,” Jagen replied. “Talys is a little farming country just north of the great land of Archanea. Medeus captured it very quickly, but its prince escaped and is trying to drive his henchmen out. Today we will be joining this prince to help him get his castle back, sir.”

“Very good. Hey, Jagen, you really should try some of this NINTENDO™ CEREAL SYSTEM. It’s fantastic!” Marth said, offering Jagen a spoon holding three lightly milk-soaked pieces of delicious NINTENDO™ CEREAL SYSTEM pieces shaped like, respectively, Link from THE LEGEND OF ZELDA™, a Goomba from SUPER MARIO BROS. ™, and Link’s shield from THE LEGEND OF ZELDA™.

“There will be time for delicious and nutritious cereal later, sir,” Jagen replied. “First, sir, we must meet with His Majesty, Prince Hardin of Talys. In fact, here he comes now, sir.”


	2. Chapter 2

Five great, white horses rode up the hill to where Marth and Jagen were standing. Leading them was the greatest and whitest horse of them all, and on it sat a man dressed in a fine gray cloak and turban, with a mustache as big as a hand.

“Good morning! You must be Prince Hardin of Talys! I am Marth, the prince of Altea!” Marth shouted to the man.

Hardin jumped off his horse and stuck out his hand. “Pheeew-eee, it’sa mighty fine honor to finally meet ya, Prince Marthy! Ya can call me Hardin. Rhymes with “garden”, ya see.”

Marth slowly took his hand and shook it. “Just Marth is fine, Hardin. Now, what’s going on here? Still showing Medeus’s minions what real humans are made of?”

Hardin shook his head. “Er, I gotta say, Marthy sir, it ain’t exactly been a picnic in the corn. Ya can’t exactly hold off a big ol’ army with just five men. I been tryin’ to find a way inta the castle, ‘cause they say they got the princess of Archanea holed up ‘ere.”

“The princess of Archanea? Here? So Medeus somehow took down the biggest and strongest country anywhere?” Marth asked a bit confused.

“Yes-sirree, Marthy. Even big ol’ Archanea couldna stand up to Medeus. He got the whole wide world under his ginormous claw now. He took the princess and locked ‘er up here in Talys. We’ve gotta get through one a his mightiest men if we’re gonna get her outta here!” Hardin flexed his arms and showed off his muscles.

“But first, we need to get inside the castle,” Marth said. “I’m guessing the big entry isn’t going to work. That will be too heavily guarded. We need another way in.”

“Oh, I gotta bit of an ol’ plan there!” Hardin replied with a smile on his face. “There’s a big ol’ water pipe out back. If we git the guards outta the way we can go right in and go all sneaky around the castle’s water pipes.”

“Through the plumbing, you say?” Marth said.

“Right as rain, y’are! Through the big ol’ pipes and tubes,” Hardon shouted. “There’s just one guard in the way. Just one, but he’s a dangerous fella. The name’s Navarre... or was it Nabarl? Can never remember these sorts a names. Point is they call him the Red Sword. Only seen ‘em from far away but he scares the bejeebus outta me!”

“Okay, so how do we get him out of the way?” Marth asked.

“I can help!” Caeda said cheerily, dashing past the two on her brown pony.

“W-wait, Caeda! What are you doing?!” Marth shouted after her.

“Dun do it, Shiida! Or was it Sheda? Aw, cornshucks, I just can’t remember this stuff!” Hardin groaned.

Caeda didn’t hear either of the men. She giggled and kept going, dashing down through the forest to the back of the castle, her pony moving its stubby legs as fast as it could. Marth and Hardin ran after her as fast they could, waving and shouting at Caeda: “Caeda, stop!” “Doggone it, missy!” “That man is dangerous!” “Missy, yeh’re nothin’ but wheat t’be harvested t’him!” “Don’t go near that man!”

But it was no good. She went near that man.

( **GAME HINT:** You have strong allies and you have weak allies. Jagen is your strongest, but don’t use him too much or your weak ones like Caeda won’t have a chance to grow strong.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, Marth and Hardin infiltrating the castle through sewers or plumbing was, as I recall, the first idea I got for this thing. Hardin speaking with a generic hick accent was the second.


	3. Chapter 3

The castle of Talys was a small one, but it was shiny and clean.   At the back there was an enormous pipe leading into the castle, and a small trickle of water always ran out of it. The guard of the pipe was Navarre. Navarre was a great big man dressed in red and spiky armor, and he held a giant red sword three times as big as he was. He had messy red hair and looked angry and mean.

And Caeda was standing right in front of him on her pony!

“Who are you? What are you doing here at this castle?” Navarre asked angrily.

“Awww, don’t be like that, Mister Navarre!” Caeda giggled. “Don’t you want someone to fight?”

“Fight? Hah!” Navarre growled. “With you it would hardly be a fight! I could destroy you here and now with just a flick of my wrist!”

“Oh, okay!” Caeda giggled. “But you’re gonna have to catch me first!” With a big neigh, Caeda and her pony ran off.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Navarre ran after her, heavy armor clinking together. “Get back here and fight me one on one!” Navarre shouted. “I will destroy you just like everyone else!”

Marth and Hardin stepped out from behind a giant rock and walked towards the pipe.

“Darn tootin’, the missy has that big ol’ meanie distracted!” Hardin exclaimed. “Now we can jus’ go right inta the castle through this here big ol’ pipe!”

“I don’t know, Hardin.” Marth said sadly. “Isn’t there a better way? I mean, that pipe is awfully gross and dirty and I don’t think I should let my clothes get covered in muck.”

“Aw, don’t ya worry, Marthy! A li’l muck won’t hurt ya none. ‘Sides, this big ol’ world’s got plenty a muck in it an’ y’all have ta get used ta it one or or another. Get a li’l bit a practice in now, I always say!”

“Well... Okay, if you say so, Hardan.” Marth said.

Marth and Hardin walked into the big pipe. It was very big, more than twice as tall as Marth was. They walked and walked through the pipe, and the light disappeared very quickly and left them in the dark.   Soon, they walked out of the pipe and into the castle, right into a big kitchen on the second floor. In the kitchen, cooks scurried all over the place cooking the morning’s food.

“Hey, guys!” a messenger shouted into the kitchen. “Master Camus has changed his mind! He wants a big, big plate of mashed potato and Brussels sprouts for his breakfast! Stop cooking the ice cream and potato chips he said he wanted earlier, and start cooking the mashed potato and Brussels sprouts!”

“Brussels sprouts? Eww!” Marth said, disgusted. “What kind of monster wants Brussels sprouts instead of potato chips? This Camus has to be a horrible, horrible person!”

“Good thing we came by, eh? We can show that big ol’ sorry scarecrow his just desserts!” Hardin crowed. “But c’mon, first we gotta skedaddle outta this darn-tootin’ kitchen!”

Marth and Hardin ran through the kitchen, right past all the cooks, and dashed through the door and went into the castle’s great hall. In the middle of the great hall was a great throne, and a man was sitting on it. The man had red hair and red clothes, and was eating a big plate of red onions. He held one end of a big chain, and on the other end there was a tied-up princess, who was crying.

“You must be Camus!” Marth shouted across the room. “I am Marth, the great Prince of Altea, and this is my friend Hardin, Prince of Talys and the real owner of that throne you’re sitting on! We are here to get his throne back, and free this land from Medeus’s minions!”

“You? Defeat me? Don’t make me laugh!” Camus shouted angrily between bites of red onion. “I am one of Lord Medeus’s finest warriors, and I wield Gradivus, his legendary wind spear! I will blow anyone who dares to challenge him away, and if you challenge me, you challenge Medeus!”

Marth and Hardin raised their swords. “Very well. I won’t lose today!” Marth cried.

“Oh really?” Camus sniggered. “Destroying you will be a picnic, Marth and Hardin!”


	4. Chapter 4

Camus’s spear was called Gradivus, and he held it above his head. _Fwooooooooooooooom!_ A cyclone, a giant blast of wind, came rushing out of it and spun around the entire hall, blowing curtains this way and that. Marth and Hardin barely dove out of the way before the wind could knock them off their feet!

“Hahahahahahaha! The more my spear blows, the harder your job becomes!” Camus cackled with glee.

 _Fffffwooooar!_ The princess screamed and screamed as the wind blew her away, but she was still chained to Camus’s throne and just floated there.

Marth and Hardin hugged the ground, trying to avoid getting caught up in the big gust of wind.

“Golly-gee, Marthy! Now whaddya think we do?” Hardin shouted, trying to be heard over the wind.

Marth frantically looked around, trying to find a way out of this sticky situation. This was Marth’s first time in a real fight, so he had no idea what he was doing. Or at least, he had no idea what he was doing until he saw the flapping curtains along the hall’s walls.

“I have an idea, Hardin! Give me your sword!” Marth replied.

Hardin looked confused but still gave Marth his sword.

“Now, listen carefully! I’m going to stand up and I want you to hold onto my legs and weigh me down!” Marth continued. He slowly got to his feet, which Hardin held onto, and he stood up with Hardin keeping him firmly on the ground even with the strong wind blowing.

Marth raised Hardin’s sword and threw it straight at a red curtain behind Camus.

 _Shiiiiiink_! It was a direct hit! The sword cut through the top of the curtain and cut it away from the wall! The curtain got caught in the wind and spun around and around Camus, coming closer and closer to Camus until _fwump_! It completely covered Camus and his spear. The wind stopped blowing. Camus couldn’t blow everything away anymore!

Camus was completely confused. He was angrily shouting, but nobody could hear him anymore, and he waved his arms around to try and get it off him. He stepped backwards and fell right off his thone. That was it! Camus was defeated! Marth and Hardin had won!

Marth and Hardin got back on their feet, now that they were able to move and walk again. Hardin pulled Camus out of the curtain and put a set of handcuffs on him. “Ya’re under arrest, buddy. Talys is free as a whistle and ya’ll never hurt it again.”

“Curse you, Marth and Hardin!” Camus shouted defiantly as Hardin walked him away. Some of Marth’s soldiers marched into the hall, took Camus from Hardin, and led him away to the castle dungeon.

Jagen walked into the hall, still holding Marth’s bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™.

“Well done, sir. This is your first victory against Medeus. Talys is ours, and will make a fine base before we go and free another country. May I suggest, sir, that now is in fact the time for delicious and nutritious cereal?” Jagen offered the bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™ to Marth.

“Sorry, Jagen, but there’s something else I need to do first,” Marth said.

Marth walked up to the princess and cut the chain right off her with his sword, then helped her back on her feet.

“Good morning, my lady,” Marth greeted her, tipping his tiara.

“Oh, my hero!” the princess said. “Thank you for saving me from that horrible, horrible minion of Medeus! I didn’t think I would ever get out of here! I am Nyna, the princess of the great kingdom Archanea. Would you grace me with your name, sir?”

“Of course. I am Marth of Altea, and this is Hardin, prince of Talys,” Marth answered. “We’re here to fight back against Medeus’s hold on the world and free my family from Medeus’s dungeon. This is actually the first battle I’ve had.”

“Is that so? You must be the great hero we’ve all been waiting for since the beginning! Oh, what joy! You are finally here to save us all!” Nyna exclaimed. “Allow me to present this royal favor to you.”

Nyna reached under the throne and pulled out a great big golden shield. “This is the Fire Emblem, a legendary shield created thousands of years ago by the first king of Archanea. With it, he made our kingdom the greatest this world has ever seen. It is incredibly powerful, but only a true legend can use it properly, and I believe that legend is you, Prince Marth,” Nyna said, handing the shield to Marth. “Take the Fire Emblem, and use it to defeat Medeus, the Shadow Dragon!”

“Thank you, my lady,” Marth replied as he took the shield. “I won’t let you down. With the Emblem, I swear I will lead everyone to victory against Medeus!”

Marth raised the shield above his head and it shone in the morning light.

( **GAME HINT:** The Armorslayer sword is very useful to help you fight bosses.)


	5. Chapter 5

Many days and nights passed since the victory at Talys. Marth made many friends and enemies as he travelled south, winning battle after battle, until finally he arrived at the capital city of Archanea, once the greatest country in the world.

It was a long, gruelling battle, but at last Marth and Hardin won. Archanea was free once again. Nyna was home.

Marth sat on top of the tallest tower of the great Archanea Palace, watching as his men cleaned up down below. His men led enemy soldiers to be imprisoned in the dungeon and freed their friends who had been captured during the battle. He could see Caeda running eagerly around the battlefield to clean up the broken bows, spears and arrows lying everywhere.

“Heh, the local shops will really like seeing all that stuff to be fixed and sold again,” Marth said to himself.

“I’m sure they will. Before today ends you will have helped a lot of people!” a voice said from behind him. Marth jumped and turned around! It was just Nyna. She was now wearing a very complicated and pretty blue dress, which she probably found in her old room after the battle.

“All these shopkeepers have probably had a really hard time with Medeus’s minions running around everywhere. I wish I had more to give them than bits of broken wood and metal, but anything’s better than one of Medeus’s big brutes breaking their doors and windows down every day!”

“So now that Archanea is ours again, what do we do now, my lord?” Nyna asked Marth.

“Well, the obvious thing we need to do now is find Medeus and put a stop to him for good,” Marth replied. “There is one small problem with that.”

“Yes?” Nyna asked, looking worried.

“We need a sword for that,” Marth said sadly.

“A sword?” Nyna looked confused. “But we have one of those already. Look, it’s right there lying next to the Fire Emblem.”

“Heh, I wish it was that easy,” Marth said with a small laugh. “But we need one sword in particular. It’s called Falchion, and it’s been in my family for hundreds and thousands of years. My fathers and grandfathers and great grandfathers have always used it to fight dragons when they attack us, and I will need it too if I’m going to defeat Medeus.”

“So where is it?” Nyna asked.

“I don’t know,” Marth replied. “It was probably taken by Medeus when he kidnapped my family, or it could have been taken by Gharnef, that wizard who was with him. Getting it from either of them won’t be easy. I guess we’ll have to look around for clues about where they are or who has it before we go any further.” Marth sat back down, face in his hands, looking sad.

“Don’t worry, Marth!” Nyna said after a while. “I’m sure it’ll all work out. If anyone can do it, it’s you! All we need to do is-” Nyna stopped talking.

“Huh?” Marth looked up. “What’s wrong, Nyna?”

Nyna said nothing. She only pointed at the sky behind Marth.

Marth turned around.

_Flap!_

_Flap!_

_Flap!_

Flying straight at them was a dragon!


	6. Chapter 6

Flying straight at Marth and Nyna was a great big red dragon! Its flapping wings tore the flags off the flagpoles on top of the castle with strong blasts of wind, and its jaws hung open as it roared! Riding it was a knight in armor, holding an axe!

Marth and Nyna ran! _Crash!_ They ran down the stairs of the tower, only just avoiding the dragon’s claws bursting straight through the wall behind them. _Crash!_ They ran through the castle’s corridors, as the tower behind them crumbled and fell apart. They ran through the great doorway into the castle’s great hall, where Hardin and Jagen were standing.

“Hey, Marthy!” Hardin shouted. “Wait... ya’re lookin’ awful shook up.”

“What has happened, sir?” Jagen asked.

“We’re under attack!” Marth yelled. “It’s a dragon!”

“A dragon?!” Caeda screamed as she ran into the room behind them. “Could it be Medeus? Is he attacking us himself now?”

“No, it’s not him,” Marth replied as he panted from running so hard. “It’s red, it’s too small, and it doesn’t have enough wings to be him. There’s a knight with an axe riding it as well.”

“A knight?” Jagen asked. “It must be Minerva, the legendary Dragon Knight, sir. She is one of Medeus’s most trusted minions and is the only person to have ever tamed a dragon to ride.”

“Minerva, you say?” Nyna said slowly. “If she’s been sent here...”

“...Then I guess Medeus has had enough of playing nice,” Marth finished. “But how are we supposed to defeat her? What do you even do to defeat a dragon?”

“Such a pity we don’t have that Falchion of yours, Marth,” Nyna said. “That would make stopping this dragon a breeze!”

“Actually, Marthy, I think I got me an idea here!” Hardin said. “Back in Talys we’ve got ourselves a lotta fairy tales about farmers an’ dragons, an’ they’re always sayin’ that dragons can’t stand a bit o’ fire!”

“Fire...?” Caeda asked, confused.

“Yeah, missy! Fire!” Hardin replied brightly. “Get a big bundle o’ hay, stick it on a pitchfork, set it on fire, an’ the big meanie won’t scare ya again! Good thing I always gotta couple o’ pitchforks with me all the time!” He opened his cape up and five pitchforks fell out.

“Well, I guess we haven’t got any better plans,” Marth said. “Jagen, there’s a few bundles of hay in the other room. Could you fetch those and some matches?”

“At once, sir!” Jagen replied with a bow, then scurried off. He was back with the hay in just ten seconds.”

“Okay, everyone pick up a pitchfork!” Marth said. Nyna, Caeda, Hardin and Jagen all picked up a pitchfork, then stuck it into one of the bundles of hay each. Marth struck up a match, then set each of their hay bundles on fire.

“Now, just wait here until I give the signal,” Marth said as he picked up his sword and the Fire Emblem. He threw the door open and stepped outside.

Marth raised the Emblem and pointed his sword at the sky. “Minerva!” he shouted at the sky. “Come on and fight me! I’m ready for you!”

The dragon swooped down from the roof behind him, then hovered in place high above Marth, and on top of its back Minerva raised her axe.

“And what do you think you can do to ME, you foolish little prince?” Minerva cackled.

“For one thing.... This! Chaaarge!” Marth yelled, swinging his sword forward.

The enormous wooden doors behind him burst open, and Hardin, Nyna, Caeda and Jagen came running out, holding their flaming pitchforks high above their heads.

_Rooooooar!_ The dragon roared in terror and bucked backwards, throwing Minerva off its back, then flew away as fast as it could.

“Ahhh!” Minerva yelled as she fell, then landed in the river. Hardin, Nyna, Caeda and Jagen ran over to the river, put their pitchforks in it to put out the fire, then pulled Minerva out of it.

“Madam, for the good of the world my lord is working to save, you are now under arrest,” Jagen said as he put handcuffs on Minerva and started leading her away.

“Curse you, Prince Marth!” Minerva hissed angrily.

The castle doors slammed behind Jagen as he led Minerva to the dungeon. Everyone cheered and hugged Marth.

“We did it, Marthy!” Hardin crowed.

“Good work, Marth!” Nyna said happily.

( **GAME HINT:** When Minerva attacks you, she’s too strong. Just leave her alone and she’ll go away soon.)


	7. Chapter 7

“Splendid!” a mysterious voice exclaimed. “Truly you are brave and clever in equal measure, Prince Marth.”

“Huh? Who’s there?” Marth said.

There was a puff of smoke, and an old man appeared before him. This man had a long gray beard, and was wearing an old wizard’s hat and old wizard’s robes. He held an old wizard’s cane in his hand.

“Well, golly-gee!” Hardin shouted. “Are ya a wizard? Are ya an OLD wizard, maybe?”

“Indeed I am, lad,” the wizard said. “They call me Gotoh, the Great White Wizard. I have trained countless young wizards in the ways of magic, and I’m sure there are quite a few of them helping you in your army, young prince!”

“It’s such an honor to finally meet you, Gotoh!” Marth said. “But why are you here?”

“I am here to aid you on your quest, young prince.” Gotoh replied. “You are correct, young prince: you will need the Falchion if you intend to ever challenge Medeus. Fortunately for you, Medeus does not have it himself. It is held by his creator and his greatest henchman: Gharnef, the Great Black Wizard.”

“I knew it!” Marth muttered. Speaking up, he continued, “What can you tell us about Gharnef, Gotoh?”

“Ah, Gharnef,” Gotoh said. “Gharnef is my greatest enemy. I am the light, and he is the darkness. We’ve been clashing for centuries, as he wants to destroy everything in the light, while I want to protect all life from his darkness. With his creation of Medeus, Gharnef has gotten the upper hand at last and there is little I can do to stop him anymore. You will need to defeat Gharnef if you want to get Falchion back, and there is a way to do it.”

“Which is?” Marth asked.

“Starlight,” Gotoh replied. “It is an incredibly rare spell called Starlight. It can only be created using the power of three rare and powerful orbs. Gharnef is a man of darkness so pure he can no longer be harmed, but a single blast of Starlight is enough to put an an end to his darkness with the purest light this world has ever known.”

“Great! How do we get it?” Marth asked.

“I can make it for you, but I need the three orbs. The orbs are contained in the ancient temple of Faneraman, far to the east. The temple is guarded by an ancient and powerful dragon called Tiki, and you will need to defeat it if you want to get the orbs and get out of there alive. No normal man can set foot in the temple, but you, Marth, are different. You are the one who will defeat Tiki and obtain the orbs. I know it.”

“Well, I guess we have our next destination,” Marth said. “Everyone, we’re going to Faneraman!”

“Travelling to Faneraman is a very long journey for normal people, and there isn’t enough time left to do that,” Gotoh said. “Fortunately, we don’t need to do that. I will take us all there with my magic. _Abracadabra!_ ”


	8. Chapter 8

_Pow!_ A giant burst of purple smoke flashed around Marth and his friends. Everyone coughed and coughed until it went away, and when it did, they weren’t in Archanea anymore. Right in front of them there was a big blue temple, decorated with so many detailed carvings Marth had trouble seeing all of them. Around them and the temple was a giant rainforest, so thick Marth couldn’t see through it.

“We all doin’ swell?” Hardin asked.

“I’ve counted. Everyone is here and healthy, sirs,” Jagen replied.

“Welcome to Faneraman, ladies and gentlemen,” Gotoh said. “The greatest treasures of an ancient civilization await within its walls, the last reminders of a race of people driven to extinction by the foul, foul dragons. The key to defeating Gharnef and reclaiming Falchion is here, but only if you, noble prince, are strong enough of body and mind to evade and defeat the fearsome Tiki, the dragon guardian of Faneraman. Are you ready, Prince Marth?”

Marth lifted the Fire Emblem from the ground. “I’m ready. We can’t waste time here. I won’t have a better chance of surviving if I wait. Let’s get this over with!”

“Wait, sire!” Jagen interrupted. “Before you go, sir, I have something you could use in there.” Jagen unwrapped a sword from a sheet of cloth, and handed it to Marth. It was a strange-looking sword, with a blade shaped like a bolt of lightning. “This is called Mercurius, the sword of lightning, sir,” Jagen said. “As I’m sure you remember, Medeus’s guardian at Archanea’s palace was using it against us. I’m sure you’ll find it very useful while exploring that temple, sir.”

“Thanks, Jagen!” Marth said, holding the sword up. “This should be very useful while exploring that temple! Well then, I’m off, everyone!”

“Fare thee well, Marth,” Nyna said.

“Take care of yourself in there!” Caeda said.

“Gosh-darn, Marthy, I know ya’ll come outta there all alive an’ swell!” Hardin said.

“Remember, noble prince!” Gotoh warned him. “You need to find the three orbs if you ever want to defeat Gharnef and Medeus, and Tiki the Dragon will do everything he can to stop you! Go now, legendary hero, and do what nobody has done before!”


	9. Chapter 9

Marth crept through the quiet temple corridors, lit only by glowing mushrooms growing in cracks in the walls. He held his sword up in front of him, ready to strike if something got in his way.

Marth turned a corner and found himself looking at a door. He twisted its knob. It was locked.

“Not a problem,” Marth said to himself. He raised Mercurius, his sword, in front of him, and squeezed its handle. A bolt of lightning shot from it, zapping the door and turning it into a pile of ash! Marth stepped over the pile and entered the room, and he found a treasure chest sitting in it. Marth smiled. He had done this so many times before!

Marth held the Fire Emblem in front of him. It gleamed and a ghostly hand holding a key emerged from its heart. It reached out, stuck the key in the chest’s lock and twisted it, and there was a _click!_ sound. Marth opened the chest and pulled out the only thing in it: a feather made out of chocolate.

He looked at it curiously for a minute, then ate it. Suddenly he felt faster than he used to be!

_Sniff... Sniff!_

Marth jumped with surprise at the sound of someone sniffing behind him. He turned around to find there was a little girl standing behind him, crying. The girl was dressed in old and torn rags, and held a dirty old teddy bear in her hand.

“Hey there... Are you okay?” Marth asked softly.

“Sniff... I-I’ve been here so long and I can’t get out and people just run away when I ask for help...” she said sadly.

“There, there,” Marth said. “It’s okay. I’ll help you. I just need to find a few things, and then we can get going. I’m sure your mommy and daddy are still looking for you and really worried somewhere out there.”

“Th-thank you,” the little girl said through her tears.

Marth picked up her hand and led her along behind him as he left the room. “My name is Marth. What’s your name?” he asked.

“Sniff... Tiki. I’m Tiki,” the girl said.

“Well then, Tiki, let’s-”

Marth stopped.

“Wait a minute!” he said slowly, turning around. “Tiki? As in, Tiki the dragon who guards this place?”

Tiki looked confused. “What are you saying?”

Marth whirled around and pointed his sword at her, Fire Emblem at the ready. “Not another step, dragon scum!” he shouted. “I won’t let you catch me and lock me in your dungeon, like you have to everyone else who’s ever come in here!”

 _Kraka-booom!_ There was a flash of light and the little girl was gone. In her place there was the head of an enormous black dragon, the rest of its body out of sight in the tiny corridors of the temple.

It roared!

Marth ran!

( **GAME HINT:** When Marth gets the Fire Emblem, he can use it to unlock doors and chests.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chocolate feather is, of course, a speedwing. I had to make a nod to the ongoing confusion about how the stat boost items are supposed to work somewhere, right?


	10. Chapter 10

Tiki the dragon crawled its way through the narrow corridors behind Marth as he ran and ran, shooting bursts of red-hot fire at him! Marth kept on running through the twists and turns of the corridors of Faneraman, until he ran out of the corridors into a great hall. At the back of the great hall there was a great stone table, and on top of the great stone table sat three small orbs: one red, one green, one blue.

Marth knew he didn’t have much time until Tiki caught up. He dashed to the table and picked up the three orbs. All three of the orbs felt warm to the touch, as if they were full of fire. _These must be the orbs,_ Marth thought. _These must be what Gotoh wants!_

_Crash!_ Marth turned around. Tiki was caught in the doorway he’d come from, claws trying to dig through its sides, snout poking out and breathing out short bursts of fire!

Marth panicked. _What do I do? What do I do?_

He suddenly got an idea! He lifted the Fire Emblem in front of him and pointed it at Tiki. The three orbs glowed in his hand, then with an almighty shine, a wave of solid light was shot out of the Emblem! Slowly, ever so slowly, it swept along the floor until it hit Tiki straight in the nose, pushing her back and out of the way!

Marth lowered the Emblem and whipped out Mercurius. He held it up again and _zzzzap!_ a bolt of lighting crashed from its tip and struck the entrance to the corridor! A wave of stone came tumbling down, completely blocking the entrance to the corridor!

“Good. That should hold the dragon back for a while,” Marth said to himself. “But how do I get out of here?” Marth looked around the hall, searching for something, _anything_ , to get him out of here. He saw the hall’s high ceilings, its sloped, carved walls, its dangling curtains, and a raised platform in the middle of the floor.

Marth had no better ideas so he walked over to the platform, and when he saw what was on it, he smiled. Carved right into the middle of it was a shape which exactly matched the shape of the Fire Emblem!

“Maybe, just maybe, this will work,” Marth said to himself. He stepped back a bit, placed the Emblem on top of the shape, and stepped back onto the platform. The orbs in his hand glowed, then the Emblem glowed, then the decorations on the platform’s edge glowed too.

_Pssshhhiiiiiin!_ The platform rose off the ground, carrying Marth with it. The Emblem continued to glow, brighter then darker, brighter than darker, then a great burst of blue fire shot out of its center! The flames wrapped around the platform and surrounded Marth, almost as if dancing, then came together in front of him and took the shape of a human face. The face was a very old face, with a long flowing beard and a mighty crown sitting on top of it. Just looking at it, Marth knew it was a man of great wisdom, bravery and power.

Before Marth could say anything, the man’s face opened his mouth and started speaking!


	11. Chapter 11

The burning face opened its mouth!

“Welcome, Prince Marth. I am Naga. I’m sure you’ve heard of me: the legendary King of All Kings, the last and greatest ruler of an ancient kingdom destroyed by the dragons long, long ago. This temple, Faneraman, is all that remains of my old world, and it has awaited your arrival for thousands and thousands of years.”

“Hear me, Marth! Dragons are the enemy of all of mankind. The fall of my kingdom was but the first of their many crimes against us innocent humans. And now, Marth, your world is on the brink of defeat at the hands of Medeus, the Shadow Dragon, the foulest dragon to have ever lived. I have foreseen it.”

“You are the one destined to save every man and woman everywhere from Medeus’s wrath, and you will do it with the tools I left behind for you,” Naga continued as Marth looked on in awe. “I’m sure you know of all of them: the Fire Emblem you currently hold, and the Falchion sword which still eludes you, and the three orbs with which your wizard friend will forge the way to get Falchion back. Once you get Falchion, there is no limit to what you can do. With Falchion, you will create a bright, dragon-free future for humans everywhere, but your time is short.”

_Craaaack!_ Marth looked down past Naga’s head and saw Tiki digging its way back through the collapsed wall, claws slashing furiously and roaring at him.

“Go now!” Naga’s head shouted. “I will drag this temple into another dimension, and rid you of at least one dragon, but the rest is up to you. Go now, Marth, the new King of All Kings, and restore light to this world!” Naga’s head dissolved back into blue fire, which snaked around Marth’s platform to protect him.

_Psssshhheeeeen!_ A pulse of light burst from Marth’s platform. Everything around him – the hall, the curtains, the table, the rubble, and Tiki – started flickering and fading from view. Tiki roared and roared, but each roar was softer and harder to hear, until he and the temple disappeared entirely, leaving Marth and the platform floating in the middle of the jungle. The light faded from the platform and the Fire Emblem, and it slowly drifted back to the grassy ground, landing with a loud _thump!_

Marth stepped off the platform and picked up the Fire Emblem, still holding the three orbs in his other hand. He saw Hardin, Jagen, Nyna and Caeda running toward him.

“Marth! You’re okay!” Nyna shouted as she hugged Marth.

“Glad to see you’ve survived unscathed, sire,” Jagen said. “Perhaps now is a time worth celebrating with a bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™?” He offered a bowl of delicious NINTENDO-themed cereal chunks.

“Well boy howdy, Marthy!” Hardin exclaimed. “Never seen somethin’ so purdy happen back at home! I take it ya got those little gem thingies, then?”

“They’re right here, Hardin,” Marth replied, opening his hand to reveal the gems. “I’m sure Gotoh will be pleased to see these. Where is he, anyway?”

“Excellent work, noble prince,” Gotoh’s voice came from behind him. Marth turned around in surprise, and sure enough, Gotoh was standing right there. The wizard took the orbs from Marth and continued, “I knew you could do it. I’ll have Starlight ready by the morning. For now, everyone should get some sleep. Tomorrow you fight Gharnef himself.”

Gotoh disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Marth turned to Jagen. “Well, I guess we’re setting up camp here, Jagen. Spread the order to the men to get everything set up. After all this, it’s about time we all had a good rest.”

“Very good, sir,” Jagen replied. “Now, how about that bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™?” Jagen offered the bowl to Marth again.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Marth said as he took the bowl from Jagen. “Jagen, why don’t you get some for yourself? You deserve the NINTENDO-themed cereal goodness as much as I do!”

“Thank you, sir,” Jagen replied.

( **GAME HINT:** You can’t fight Tiki the dragon unless you have another dragon with you.)


	12. Chapter 12

Marth’s camp was already packed up and ready to go by sunrise the next day.

“Everyone is ready to leave at any time, sir,” Jagen reported.

“Excellent,” Marth replied. “We’re just waiting on Gotoh to come by to take us to wherever Gharnef is.”.

“And take you I shall, noble prince,” Gotoh said out of nowhere. Marth whirled around and, sure enough, Gotoh was standing there. He was now holding a curious-looking cane, colored a rainbow of red, green and blue, with the head on top capped with the three gemstones.

“As promised, noble prince, here it is,” Gotoh continued. “This cane allows you to use the power of the three orbs. Hold it aloft and say the magic words to cast the Starlight spell. With this spell, you can put an end to the Great Black Wizard, Gharnef, and come one step closer to defeating Medeus!”

“Thank you, Gotoh!” Marth said as he took the cane from Gotoh’s hands. The cane felt as light as a feather to Marth. “Now, where do we go to defeat Gharnef?”

“Your destination today is Thabes, the great wizard city in the middle of the desert,” Gotoh replied. “Ever since he created Medeus and set him loose on the world, Gharnef has ruled the city as its Great Wizard-King, and from the great tower he casts his spells to control the world with terrifying evil power. Even now he awaits you with the sword Falchion at the top of the tower.”

“So we should be careful?” Marth asked.

“Very careful, noble prince,” Gotoh said. “Even I, a great wizard, have trouble with Gharnef’s many tricks and traps. Keep your wits about you, and the power of Starlight and the Fire Emblem should see you through.”

Gotoh spread his arms wide. “Now, is everyone ready? We travel to Thabes! _Abracadabra!_ ”


	13. Chapter 13

_Poof!_ With a great flash of smoke, Marth and his friends appeared outside the great tower of Thabes. The tower rose above them, as if it was reaching as high as the sky itself, a great big lump of brown stone covered with detailed carvings. Its entrance hung wide open, and beyond it was nothing but darkness, as if inviting them to walk straight into their own doom.

Marth looked around. Everyone was standing around the courtyard they arrived in, looking confused, while Gotoh calmly stood in the middle of it all.

“Okay, I guess we should go in. Are you ready, Hardin?” Marth said.

“Darn-tootin,” Hardin replied, “an’ this time I got me a little surprise for mean ol’ Gharnef!” He lifted the spear he was holding. “Remember this li’l thing? It’s the one that Camus fella was usin’ against us way back when. I think it was called Gradivus or somethin’? Not important. Point is, ol’ Gotoh thought I could git some good usin’s outta it. Now c’mon, Marthy! Let’s go skin this pig!”

“Remember, noble prince,” Gotoh warned, “the Tower of Thabes is Gharnef’s home. He owns every last nook and cranny of the place, and the very tower itself is your enemy! I wish there was another way, but you are fighting him on his terms. Be very careful, keep your wits about you, use the power of Starlight wisely, and the day shall be yours!”

“Thank you, Gotoh,” Marth said. “Jagen, take care of Nyna and everyone while I’m gone, okay?”

“Of course, sir,” Jagen said with a bow. “Best of luck, sir.”

Marth and Hardin turned around and walked right into the dark entrance.

Inside the tower, it was incredibly dark. Marth and Hardin held their weapons at the ready, just in case.

“Kyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!” A great big cackle came from some corner or another of the hall.

“What was that?” Marth asked Hardin quietly.

“Now I ain’t a sciency professor, Marthy, but I’m purty dang sure that right there was a great big ol’ cackle,” Hardin replied quietly.

 _Flash!_ Right in front of them a spotlight suddenly turned on, barely lighting the room. Someone stepped into it, a man completely covered in thick black and red robes. He pulled down the hood of the robes, revealing a balding head, an enormous crazy smile and sick-looking skin.

“Gharnef!” Marth exclaimed.

“Ohohohoho! What do we have here?” Gharnef giggled. “The little crying prince Marth! I haven’t seen you in years, have I? Not since Medeus and I destroyed Altea and took your entire family to his dungeon! How lucky of you, that was! Not many people see my greatest creation in action and live to tell the tale... but you won’t be doing much more living after today, will you? No, it’s straight to Medeus’s dungeon for you from here! Hyahahahahahahahaha!”

“Think again, Gharnef! I’ve defeated so many others so far, and we won’t lose to you now! Prepare yourself!” Marth shouted, pointing the cane at Gharnef.

“Oh, really? But how do you expect to defeat something that isn’t there at all? Hweeeeheeeheeee!” Gharnef cackled, then vanished in a puff of black smoke.

Marth and Hardin looked around, trying to find Gharnef. Gharnef’s voice rang out from all corners of the room. “Fweeeeheeeeheeeheeeheee! If you want to catch me, you’ll have to find me first, Marth! Go on, come and find me... if you dare! Hyahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

 _Flash!_ Another spotlight turned on behind them. This time, it shone down on a spiralling stone staircase, leading upwards into the tower.

“Should we, Marthy?” Hardin asked nervously.

“Of course! I’m sure we can get out of whatever traps Gharnef has set out for us!” Marth replied confidently.

The two slowly climbed the stairs, weapons still at the ready just in case. Hardin was sweating nervously the entire time.

At the top of the stairs, Marth and Hardin found a tiny room with only one wooden door in it. The two glanced at each other, then Marth stepped forward to open it. He laid his hand on the knob, twisted it, and pulled the door open...

 _Bang!_ A loud bang noise came from the door as it swung open, revealing the word “bang!” in giant letters just hanging there!

Marth and Hardin screamed and jumped backwards. Somewhere in the distance, Gharnef cackled madly: “Keeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!”

Everything in front of them disappeared – the door, the wall, the word “Bang!”, everything. Marth and Hardin were standing in a big, empty room.

“Pfffaahahahahahahahahahaha!” Gharnef’s cackle came again in the distance. “You’re in for the wildest ride you’ve ever seen, Marth!”

“I wanna git off this big ol’ wild ride!” Hardin said nervously.

( **GAME HINT:** You need the Starlight spell to defeat Gharnef.)


	14. Chapter 14

Marth and Hardin ran and ran up an endless spiral staircase. At every step they met another shadowy skeleton or ghost, just another illusion for Hardin to swat away – at least, after he got over being scared by them. A pack of angry dogs charged down the stairs at them, and Marth crouched down behind the Fire Emblem. The dogs ran straight into the Emblem and blew apart, just another of Gharnef’s illusions.

“Muahahahahahahahahahahahaha! All bark and no bite, are you, Prince Marth?” Gharnef cackled as he suddenly appeared right in front of them.

“Gaaah!” Hardin screamed as he flinched and accidentally threw his spear right at Gharnef, who blew away into a cloud of vanishing black smoke.

“I don’t think that was him,” Marth said calmly to Hardin. “It was just another illusion, trying to trick us. Gharnef wouldn’t give up so easily.”

“Kahahahahahahahahahah!” Gharnef’s terrifying laugh echoed all around the seemingly endless staircase. “That’s right! Fight, Marth, fight! Wear yourself out fighting my puppets and shadows, but you won’t get Falchion unless you find the REAL me! Heeheeheeheehee!”

Suddenly, the staircase around them completely disappeared, leaving them standing on a platform in the middle of bottomless pit!

“Aw geez, this’s gotta be just another trick o’ his, ain’t it?” Hardin asked. “Hey, Marthy, maybe that magic cane o’ yours could help us out here. It’s s’posed to deal with Gharnef’s magical hoodilly, right?”

“It’s worth a try, I suppose. It’s not like I’ve got any better ideas,” Marth replied, and he raised the Starlight cane high above his head. He breathed in, then out, then cried the magic words:

_“Starlight Shazam!”_

_Pssssssssssssssssssshing!_ A rainbow wave of light burst out of the end of the staff! It spread across the whole room and, in a great flash of light, the darkness was blown away and the room was lit again! The spiral staircase stood before them, and in the bright light they could see that there wasn’t long to go until they reached the top!

“Well, ain’t that somethin’, Marthy!” Hardin exclaimed happily. “I’d say it’s smooth farmin’ all the way up from ‘ere! All them nasty ghosties ain’t gonna be botherin’ us again!”

Marth and Hardin ran right up the stairs, feeling as if they’d gotten a good night’s sleep in just a few seconds, until they stood before the enormous wooden doors between them and Gharnef. From behind the door they could hear terrifying organ music playing with Gharnef laughing in between notes.

“Are you ready, Hardin?” Marth asked.

Hardin grinned. “I was born ready, Marthy,” he replied.

Hardin pointed his spear at the door and shot a big blast of wind at it, blowing it right off the door hinges!

Marth leapt through the doorway, cane and Fire Emblem ready for anything. Hardin came right behind him, brandishing his spear. The room they found themselves in was enormous, with a roof almost taller than Marth can see, and lit only by the dim glow of its stained-glass windows. Gharnef sat at a giant organ on the other end, still frantically playing a haunting tune.

“It’s over, Gharnef!” Marth shouted. “Even you can’t worm your way out of this one! Just hold still and we can get this over with as quickly as possible.”

“Huehuehuehuehue!” Gharnef cackled as he turned around to face Marth. “Over, my dear boy? This has just begun! Everything else so far was just playtime, and now? Now, I could destroy you so easily it’d almost be a waste! But no, Prince Marth! This won’t be over quickly for either of us! This will be slow, painful, stretched-out agony! By the end you will be begging me to send you to join your family in Medeus’s dungeon! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha!”

Gharnef raised his arms and his bony, frail fingers emerged from his thick robes. Bolts of dark lightning crackled from his fingertips as he hurled black fire at Marth and Hardin! Marth barely raised the Fire Emblem in time to block the blasts, and his arms started to ache as the black fire just kept coming and coming without ever ending.

“I need to be able to move again,” Marth said. “Hardin, now!”

Hardin pointed his spear just above the Emblem and fired a tornado from its tip! It went straight at Gharnef, putting out his fire blasts, and it whirled around and around the room, breaking the windows into thousands of pieces and tearing up the curtains. But it didn’t hurt Gharnef at all, and he just stood there in the middle of it, still cackling.

“Kyahahahahahahahahahaha! You fools! There is nothing anywhere in this world that can hurt me! Far greater men than you have tried and failed, and do you know where they are now? That’s right, they’re all in Medeus’s dungeon, and you’re about to join them!”

“Think again, Gharnef!” Marth shouted in reply. He sprang up and pointed the cane straight at Gharnef, even with the fierce wind blowing around him, and he cried out the magic words:

_“Starlight Shazam!”_

The wave of rainbow light burst straight out of the cane’s tip, even stronger than it was last time! What was lef t of the windows blew right out, a great burning light shone and lit the entire room, Gharnef himself was fading into countless pieces, and this time it looked like he didn’t want to!”

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!” Gharnef shrieked. “How could you? How could you get Starlight, my only weakness? I’m melting! You may have won this round, Prince Marth, but this isn’t over! You still have to fight Medeus, and even with Starlight and the Falchion, you cannot win against the most powerful... dragon... to have ever... li... v... e... d...” Gharnef’s voice faded as the last of him completely disappeared.

Marth had done it! Gharnef was defeated!

( **GAME HINT:** There are twenty Gharnefs all around the tower, but only one of them is the real one and has Falchion, Marth’s strongest sword.)


	15. Chapter 15

“Hey, Marthy, whazzat over there?” Hardin said, pointing to something on the other side of the room.

Marth looked where he was pointing. The Starlight blast had broken Gharnef’s organ right open, and inside the organ there was a sword!

“Could it be...?” Marth said quietly as he walked over to the organ. He reached in and picked up the sword. “Yes! This is it!” he exclaimed. “This is Falchion, my family’s dragon-fighting sword!”

Hardin stared at the sword, amazed at what he saw. Falchion wasn’t all that big, but the blade was a bright shiny gold and the handle was as blue as Marth’s hair, with a bright red gem shining in its center. Even just looking at it, it was obvious Falchion had a lot of power in it, more than anything Hardin had ever seen before.

“Well golly, Marthy!” Hardin whispered in amazement. “I ain’t never seen a sword anythin’ like this! I bet even Medeus’ll take one look at it and hightail it outta here!”

“Well, I’d best not give him the chance to run like that, shouldn’t I?” Marth replied. “It looks like we’re done here. The others are waiting for us outside the tower.”

Marth and Hardin left the room and walked back down the long spiral stairs. The way down felt so very different from the way up: with Gharnef gone, the feeling of darkness had gone too, and the room just felt good and honest and hopeful. It was as if they had left the Tower of Thabes and were walking through a completely different place!

Outside the tower, everyone was still waiting for them.

“Congratulations, noble prince!” Gotoh exclaimed. “You have done what I could not and put a stop to Gharnef’s dark plans. I can’t thank you enough for getting my tower back for me. With Gharnef gone, I can get this city back on track to being a place of learning and wisdom.”

“Oh, Marth!” Nyna said. “I knew you’d won the moment I saw that big flash of light coming from the top of the tower. And after seeing that, I know there’s nothing you can’t do! This war is yours, and with it, so is this entire world. For everyone who’s ever lived, thank you!”

“Let’s not get too far ahead, Nyna,” Marth replied. “We’ve still got to deal with Medeus. Gotoh, do you know where Medeus is at the moment?”

“Indeed I do, noble prince,” Gotoh said. “Actually, he’s at your homeland. Medeus awaits us at Altea Castle – your castle. I suppose he thought it would be a nice insult to the family of dragon-slayers to call their home his own.”

“Then that’s where we’re going, right now,” Marth said. “We don’t have any time to waste here. I won’t let Medeus rule the world anymore. Everyone, we’re going home.”


	16. Chapter 16

_“Abracadabra!”_

With a shout of the magic words from Gotoh and a flash of purple smoke, Marth, Hardin and their friends all arrived in Altea. Altea was once a lovely place, with lots of trees and green fields, but there were no fields or trees left anymore. The sky was completely covered in thick black clouds, everything was burned to a crisp and there was nothing left standing, except there were these odd glowing purple balls stuck together in piles all over the place.

Marth walked over to the nearest pile of glowing purple balls to take a closer look. The balls were all stuck together by some sort of black slime, and inside each of them there was something black which looked like a small dragon curled up and sleeping.

They weren’t balls, Marth realized. They were cocoons! Dragon cocoons containing little baby dragons who were still growing!

“Hey, Jagen, could you come over here for a minute?” Marth shouted behind him. “I think I need a bit of advice on this one.”

“Yes, sir?” Jagen asked, then walked over to Marth and the cocoons.

“I’ve found a cocoon full of what I think are younger versions of Medeus’s deadly species, dragons. My instincts say I should trash it!” Marth said, brandishing his sword at the cocoons.

“Sir, wait,” Jagen replied. “You have to think this through calmly. If you just break the cocoons now, you could just release the dragons by accident! What you need to do is find Medeus and destroy him before he can get to these, or he will have a whole army of dragons!”

“Good point. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Thanks, Jagen! You’re pretty good at this teaching stuff,” Marth said, then he walked away from the cocoons and back to the group.

“Wow... Altea!” Caeda was saying. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here, and it looks so different! I guess Medeus has been doing a little redecorating around here.”

“Aw geez, Marthy, this is pretty dang sad,” Hardin said, looking around. “I bet even all the best farmers in Talys couldn’a fix this sorry sight. Wish I coulda done more ta help ya out.”

“My lord, before you go, I have a favor for you,” Nyna said, and she showed him a lovely-looking piece of cloth with gold and metal woven into it. “This is a scabbard, a special sleeve you put swords in when you’re not using them. I wove it myself while you were fighting Gharnef, from the finest cloths and jewels Archanea has to offer. For a sword as lovely as Falchion, you need a scabbard just as lovely to take proper care of it. If it pleases you, take it with you.”

“Thank you, Nyna,” Marth replied. “It’s absolutely beautiful, and I know it will be very useful when I’m fighting Medeus.”

“Do take care, sir,” Jagen said. “I know you can do this, but don’t get careless. We would all miss you if you didn’t make it out alive.”

“Aw, Marthy, I wish I could be there with ya the whole time,” Hardin said. “I mean, after helpin’ ya fight Camus and Gharnef, it’d be nice if I could help ya with the last big fight, but I know, I know, I’ll jus’ be in the way on this one. Just look after yaself against that big ol’ meanie, ‘kay?”

“This is it, noble prince,” Gotoh said proudly. “This is your final battle. Today you fight the Shadow Dragon itself, and today you will win in the name of people everywhere! Now go, Prince Marth, the King of All Kings! Show Medeus that dragons will never win against humans!”

“Thank you, everyone!” Marth replied, smiling. “All of you believe in me, so I know there’s nothing I can’t do. I’ll be going now to fight Medeus. Just wait here and it’ll be over before you know it! Look after yourselves, okay? Who knows what tricks Medeus has got planned for you?”

With a swish of his cape, Marth turned around and walked toward Altea Castle. He walked toward his home, and he walked toward Medeus, his final enemy and his final battle.


	17. Chapter 17

“Medeus!” Marth shouted at Altea Castle. “Come out! I know you’re in there! I am Marth, the Prince of Altea, and I am here to put an end to your evil rule over this world!”

The doors of Altea Castle swung open. Marth readied the Fir e Emblem and whipped out Falchion, ready for anything.

But nothing came.

Marth wasn’t convinced. He held Falchion above his head, ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.

But no great big dragon came out. Instead, a man came out.

He was an odd looking old man, short and dressed in a long flowing robe. He was completely bald and had a short gray beard, but his eyes were like little fires.

“Ah, hello there, Prince Marth,” the old man said. “Good to see you. We so rarely get visitors here.”

“W-who are you? You aren’t a dragon!” Marth said, completely confused. “Where’s Medeus? I’ve got to end this thing with him, right here, right now!”

“Ohoho, how impatient of you!” the old man said with a small laugh. “You know, Prince Marth, you’ve got to slow down. You’ll get into all sorts of trouble if you don’t take a minute to look around and think everything through before acting!”

“Look, get out of my way, old man. I need to get to Medeus as soon as possible, so could you just get out of my way?”

“Be careful what you wish for, Prince Marth,” the old man replied quietly. “Because you never know...”

The old man went silent and bent over, and wings burst out of the back of his robes! One pair... no, two pairs, three pairs, four pairs, no... he had five pairs, six pairs, _seven_ pairs of enormous dragon’s wings coming out of his back!

“...You just might get what exactly you want!”

“You!” Marth exclaimed! “You’re Medeus! You’re the Shadow Dragon!”

“That’s right, Prince Marth!” the old man said, and in a great big puff of smoke, the old man was gone and Medeus the Shadow Dragon stood in his place. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time! I should never have let you get away all those years ago! Prepare to join your family in my dungeon!”

( **GAME HINT:** If you missed getting Falchion from Gharnef, don’t worry, you can still defeat Medeus. Just use your strongest bows and magic on him.)


	18. Chapter 18

They called Medeus the “king of the dragons” for a very good reason: he was the biggest and nastiest of them all! He had fourteen enormous wings, so big and wide that he completely blocked the sun from Marth’s view, and on his head he had horns taller than the tallest mountain! With every flap of his fourteen wings, he kicked up a strong wind which nearly blew Marth right off his feet, and when he landed his thick, strong legs on the ground he set off an earthquake!

But Marth wasn’t scared anymore. Not a bit. He stood there, sword and shield at the ready.

“You don’t scare me anymore, Medeus!” Marth yelled. “I’ve fought and won against far worse than you, and today won’t be any different!”

“Oh, really?” Medeus snarled. “I’m sure you’ll find that a dragon like me is so much harder to deal with than Gharnef, that smoke and mirrors fool! Oh, he did the world a favor by creating me, but in the end he was just another weak human to be sent to the dungeon, and you’re about to join him!”

Medeus opened his enormous jaws and _ffffffffffffwoooooooooooooar!_ He breathed out a stream of black fire right at Marth, so much stronger than anything Tiki or Gharnef had done! Marth could barely keep holding the Fire Emblem up to protect himself from Medeus’s power! Marth swung Falchion around himself and the fire disappeared, then he pointed it right at Medeus.

“Think again, Medeus!” Marth replied. “Dragons have pushed humans around long enough! It’s time to end this, once and for all!” Marth leapt forward, holding Falchion high above his head, and _slash!_ he cut the ground right in front of Medeus! _Fwooooom!_ A big explosion shot right out of the crack as the ground Medeus stood on started slipping backwards!

“What? This cannot be! What’s going on?” Medeus howled. He couldn’t see anything through the fire and explosion!

“I’ll tell you what’s going on, Medeus!” Marth shouted. “This is the end for you! There will be no more dragons in this world ever again, and they will never hurt humans ever again! Medeus, king of the dragons, it’s about time you faced the light!”

A hole opened up in the black clouds above Marth and the sun shone brightly through it! Suddenly, Falchion gleamed and crackled with a bright, piercing light, and Marth swung it at Medeus with all his might! _Fssshhoooom!_ A great big wave of light, stronger than anything Marth had ever seen before, flew out of the blade and struck Medeus, pushing him back, back, even more back until he fell over and couldn’t get up!

“Noooooooooooo! What is this hideous force of light?!” Medeus howled!

Marth didn’t reply. He held the Fire Emblem right in front of him, and it glowed brilliantly. A golden box of light came out of it and grew big, bigger, until it was as enormous as Medeus himself! The box trapped Medeus in itself, then _poof!_ It turned into a golden cloud and went back into the Fire Emblem, dragging Medeus in with it!

“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...” Medeus’s howls got quieter and quieter until he was completely sucked into the Fire Emblem and disappeared!

_Pssssssshing!_ The Fire Emblem shot out one last wave of light, a gentle one this time. It spread across all of the world and where it went, the burned and blackened land suddenly bloomed back to life! Flowers burst into bloom, animals returned, and the black clouds over Altea vanished.

Marth lowered the Emblem.

It was over at last. Marth had won!

( **GAME HINT:** The Fire Emblem has a lot of power and is very useful.)


	19. Chapter 19

“Congratulations, noble prince!” Gotoh said. “I knew you would do it, but you’ve gone above and beyond even my wildest dreams! Thanks to you, peace and life have returned to this world, and people everywhere can live in peace. Dragons will never trouble us again, and we all have you to thank for it!”

Marth said nothing in reply, but smiled and stared out from the balcony. It had been a week since Medeus’s defeat, and so much had already changed. Everyone had been so happy to see him the moment he returned from fighting Medeus!

“Good show, sir!” Jagen had said proudly. “I am the proudest butler to have ever lived, to have seen my young lord do such a splendid job saving us all!”

“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaw!” Hardin had said happily as he hugged Marth. “Good on ya, partner! Ya showed that no-good two-bit lizard guy what a man can do, didn’t ya?”

“Marth, that was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my whole entire life!” Caeda had said. “And I wasn’t even there seeing most of it! It was just that amazing of you!”

“Well done, Marth,” Nyna had said, crying tears of happiness. “You have saved everyone everywhere from centuries of pain and darkness. Never again will humans be troubled by the vicious dragons! Truly, you are the greatest man to have ever lived, to have saved us all like this! And truly, you are worthy of becoming the next king of Archanea!”

“Wait, I am?” Marth had asked, shocked at Nyna’s invitation.

It had been a week since then, and it was just a few hours until Marth was going to be crowned king of Archanea. He was sitting at the top of the tallest tower of Archanea Castle, wearing a fine royal cape, and Gotoh was with him. It was a bright and sunny day, and a nice hot breeze was blowing around the tower.

“Thanks, Gotoh, but I’m just a man. I’m just trying to do everyone I can to help and protect my friends and as many people as I can,” Marth said to Gotoh.

“And protect them you shall, by the sounds of it!” Gotoh replied. “All of these countries are lining up to become part of Archanea under the great King Marth! The entire world is yours, noble prince – wait, no, you’re a noble _king_ now - and it couldn’t be in better hands!”

“But it’s not just my hands, Gotoh,” Marth said gently. “I’ve got all my friends helping me out too. With Hardin looking after Talys and Caeda looking after Altea, and with Queen Nyna at my side, I know everything and everyone will be okay.”

“Ah, how wise of you,” Gotoh murmured. “Say, Marth, you’re looking awfully tired, aren’t you?”

“I guess I was trying to hide it, but yes, I am tired,” Marth replied. “I know I’ve got to be crowned king soon, but for now I just want to get out there and relax with my friends.”

“I do believe I can arrange that, my boy,” Gotoh said with a wink. “ _Abracadabra!_ ”

 _Poof!_ When the blue smoke cleared, Marth found he was standing outside on the beach of the enormous sea near the castle, its blue water shining in the sunset’s light.

He wasn’t alone, either, because everyone was there with him! Hardin was there, wearing his best turban. Caeda was there, so excited to just be here. Jagen was there, with a bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™ ready for Marth to enjoy. And Queen Nyna was there too, dressed in a spectacular royal gown for the crowning ceremony, smiling quietly at her new king-to-be.

Without so much as a word, the five of them sat down and watched the sun set over Lake Archanea.

“Well, boy howdy!” Hardin said, finally breaking the quiet. “Ain’t this a fine li’l way ta end this adventure of ours! Guess ya could say we _shore_ deserved ta come ‘ere for a li’l break, eh?”

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, Hardin!” Marth laughed.

**The End**

( **GAME HINT:** FIRE EMBLEM™ for the NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM™ is best enjoyed with a nice big bowl of NINTENDO CEREAL SYSTEM™ to eat while playing.)


End file.
